Memphis Tigers vs East Carolina Pirates Prediction, 3/1/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Memphis Tigers vs East Carolina Pirates

Date: Sunday, March 1, 2026

Location: Minges Coliseum in Greenville, NC

TV: ESPN+

Minges Coliseum is the site where the East Carolina Pirates (10-18) will take on the Memphis Tigers (12-16) on Sunday.

The Memphis Tigers stepped onto the hardwood against Wichita State and took a loss by a final of 88-82 in their last game. In relation to personal fouls, the Tigers ended up finishing with 21 while Wichita State finished the game with 15 personal fouls. They buried 4 out of their 20 attempts from beyond the arc. Wichita State finished the contest at 78.8% at the free throw line by burying 26 of 33 tries. On top of that, Wichita State pulled down 43 rebounds (17 offensive, 26 defensive), but didn't have a block. Wichita State recorded 7 dimes and had 3 steals in the matchup. Regarding defending, Memphis allowed 43.3% from the floor on 29 of 67 shooting. They also recorded 7 dimes for this game while forcing 8 turnovers and getting 6 steals. When it comes to rebounding, they earned 26 with 6 of them being offensive. At the free throw line, the Tigers converted 13 of 17 tries for a percentage of 76.5%. Memphis wrapped up the contest with a 51.6% FG percentage (32 out of 62) and made 5 of their 14 three-point attempts.

Dug McDaniel is one guy who was a major contributor for the matchup. He accounted for 29 points on 11 out of 19 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 35 mins played and also collected 4 boards. He ended up going 57.9% from the field and totaled 3 assists.

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Memphis heads into this one with a mark of 12-16 for the year. They lose possession by turning the ball over 13.9 times per contest and as a squad are committing 20.2 fouls every game. As a unit, Memphis is pulling down 36.7 boards per contest and has 372 assists so far this season, which has them ranked 259th in the country in terms of passing the rock. The Tigers are shooting 31.9% on shots from beyond the arc (188 of 589) and 72.4% from the charity stripe. They have an average of 74.5 pts per contest (224th in D-1) while hitting 43.4% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Tigers have forced 13.7 turnovers per contest while drawing 17.6 fouls. They are surrendering 29.5% on shots from beyond the arc and they are ranked 217th in college in points per game from their opponents (74.9). The Tigers are giving up a FG percentage of 41.4% (684 of 1,651) and they surrender 37.1 boards per game as a group. They rank 162nd in the nation in giving up assists to their opponents with 378 surrendered on the year.

When they last played, the East Carolina Pirates walked away with a victory by a final of 82-81 when they faced UTSA. The Pirates were able to pull down 14 defensive boards and 14 offensive boards totaling 28 for the contest. They gave up possession of the ball 13 times, while getting 11 steals for this contest. UTSA earned 16 fouls for the matchup which got the Pirates to the free throw line for 26 attempts. They were able to knock down 19 of the free throws for a percentage of 73.1%. When it comes to shots from distance, East Carolina converted 7 of their 20 attempts (35.0%). When all was said and done, the Pirates finished 28 for 56 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 50.0%. The Pirates allowed UTSA to make 31 of 54 attempts from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 57.4% in this matchup. They shot 45.5% from behind the 3-point line by hitting 10 out of 22 and ended up shooting 9 of 10 at the free throw line (90.0%). When discussing cleaning the glass, East Carolina allowed UTSA to get 24 in all (7 offensive).

Jordan Riley ended up having an impact for the Pirates in the matchup. He tallied 27 points in his 39 mins on the court and had 3 dimes in this matchup. He converted 7 out of 16 for the game giving him a field goal percentage of 43.8%, and tallied 4 rebounds.

East Carolina has a record of 10-18 this year. As an offense, the Pirates are hitting on 41.7% from the field, which is ranked 330th in the country. East Carolina has totaled 1,984 pts for the season (70.9 per contest) and they collect 36.3 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 11.5 times per game (337th in college) and they are turning it over 12.0 times per game. The Pirates commit 16.1 fouls per game while shooting 70.1% from the charity stripe.

The East Carolina defense gives up 34.7% on three-point shots (236 of 681) and opponents are connecting on 72.9% of their shots from the free throw line. They have relinquished 14.6 assists and 36.4 boards every game, which is 274th and 299th in college. The Pirates are ranked 259th in D-1 in PPG given up with 76.8. They are able to force 11.7 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 44.8% from the floor (222nd in college).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Memphis

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